


A Fuller Galaxy

by Linky



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linky/pseuds/Linky





	A Fuller Galaxy

            Tatiana. She didn’t…she didn’t _look_ like a Tatiana. She didn’t look like an anything other than Commander Shepard. Half the crew didn’t even know her first name, Garrus didn’t know it either. Not until he’d been snooping around Liara’s fancy new Shadow Broker office. That was an embarrassing thing to admit. Known the woman for almost three years. Fought beside her. Hell, she was one of his closest friends, and he’d only learnt her name _now_? Not that she would ever know he’d only recently found out. Liara might have all sorts of secrets now, but she didn’t know that. She couldn’t…right? Garrus shook his head. His ear still rang every now and then, but he was glad he still _had_ an ear. Half his face had nearly been blown to bits. If it wasn’t for Shep-.. Tatiana, he’d have been long dead.

            The way she’d looked through the scope of his sniper rifle…he didn’t know what gods to thank for it, but he’d never seen a better sight. Or a more shocking one. Spent two years thinking she was dead, spent the past week thinking he’d probably join her. And then suddenly, there she was, rescuing his hide again. Incredible. He thought maybe that he _had_ died, that she’d been sent to haul his Turian arse to the afterlife. He thought that right until she was close enough to speak to. Grinning, _Shot at me a couple times there, big guy_ , she laughed when she said it. There were scars on her face, like someone had scraped what was left of her body and glued it back together. _Just making it look believable Shepard,_ he responded on autopilot, still trying to comprehend that his dead best friend was actually not dead. She was alive, and god almighty had she always been that beautiful?

            “Well, would you look at that.” Garrus started from his reverie at the sound of someone’s voice, looking up to where Tatiana was leaning against the doorframe. His hand reached reflexively for the gauze covering his face, wincing a little, “Got some new battle scars.”

            “I hear some women like scars. Mainly Krogan women…but, you know.” She had the best laugh, when you got a good one out of her. Most times she hardly let her guard down enough for it, but he guessed she didn’t feel the need to do that with him. Her head tossed backwards, nose scrunching in…Garrus searched around in his head for the right word. ‘Adorable’ wouldn’t cut it. Calling Commander Shepard adorable, even in his head, would likely get his butt kicked.

            “Hell, Garrus.” She clapped him on his uninjured arm, “You were always ugly. Just put some paint on it, nobody’ll even notice.” He joined her laughter as well as he could.

            “Ouch. Don’t make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is.” Instead of responding, she flashed him a smile and sat down next him. Probably wanted to talk about old times, or…or ask about what he’s been up to, or wow she really pulls off that uniform, doesn’t she? His mandibles moved as he sucked in a deep breath. If he kept this up, it was going to be a very frustrating journey.

            “How’ve you been, Garrus?” She asked at last, “It’s been about two years. Feels like just a couple of weeks for me though. Gotta say, I missed seeing you around.”

            “Feelings mutual.” Incredibly, very mutual, “You sure we’re not dead? I mean, this has got to be strangest afterlife I’ve ever been to. But also, the only one so who am I to judge?”

            “I always thought it’d be a bar.” Tatiana looked out the window, Garrus could see the flickering of her eyes, spotting stars as they sped past, “And I’d probably be dancing or something.”

            “Are you as terrible at dancing in the afterlife as you are now?” She glowered at him, before her face cracked into a smile. Yep. He wasn’t going to make it if she kept doing that, “Honestly Shepard, things…have been rough since the Normandy exploded and you died, er, sort of died. But I’m more concerned about you.” Curious, she turned towards him, her brows furrowing together. That definitely wasn’t adorable either.

            “If you’re talking about how they put me back together, I don’t feel any pain.”

            “It’s not how they put you back together.” Garrus released a breath, he didn’t want to offend her, but it needed it saying, “I’m asking about the ‘they’ in this situation. Cerberus, Shepard? You and I both saw the disgusting things they did.” He should have known she wouldn’t get mad. Shepard nodded her head, a look of real concern on her face.

            “Yeah. Believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here. But the Council, hell even the Alliance, won’t listen to me. Nobody is taking the Reaper threat seriously, Garrus. Cerberus is the only one that’s willing to do something about it. And,” she placed a hand on her shoulder, looking him in the eye, “I am _not_ working for Cerberus. _They_ are working for me. My ship. My laws. You don’t have to worry about that.” They slipped into silence then. He didn’t doubt her. The woman was the first human Spectre, she defeated Saren, and a Reaper, came back from the dead, _and_ now she was taking on the Collectors. He’d believe her if she told him he was a monkey’s uncle. Did he use that saying right?

            “It’s…” Garrus began, suddenly nervous, “it’s good to have you back. It was a much emptier galaxy without you.”

            “Well, I’m glad at least one of my old crew thinks so. Joker is just happy he’s got his ship back. Liara has her Shadow Broker-ing to do. And Kaidan…hm.” Ah, Kaidan. He’d forgotten that they’d shared something. Kaidan was human, they had years of history. More than any he had with her. Garrus couldn’t compete with that. It was surprising that he wanted to, to be honest.

            “He must have been, how do you say it on Earth, over the moon?” She shrugged, was that good or bad? Human body language was so…contextual.

            “He was angry. Angry and not very pleased. Who can blame him? He spent two years thinking I was dead, then suddenly I turn up just after his new girlfriend is captured by Collectors. Added to that, I’m followed by Cerberus operatives. Hell, he was downright pissed off.”

            “So…does that mean the two of are…uh, not the two of you anymore?” The sly little grin she turned his way made his heart beat faster.

            “Why so curious, Garrus? Trying to weasel in on the action?”

            “What! No! That would just be insensitive! I mean, you and Kaidan have _history_ as well as some things you need to talk out, a-and all this must feel like just the other day to you where it’s been years for the rest of us. I didn’t mean to-!”

            “Garrus!’ Tatiana was laughing her nose-scrunch laugh, “Relax, I’m just yanking your chain. There’s nothing left between me and Kaidan. It’s all in the past now.” They shared a few moments more, talking about what Garrus had been up to. How hard it had been for them. He told her about the funeral they’d held for her. He wasn’t ashamed of the crack in his voice when he spoke about it. Just because she was here now didn’t make the pain they’d all felt at the time any less. She was one hell of a Commander, and an even better friend.

            “I guess I’d better get back to work. Kelly has been messaging me frantically for the better part of an hour, trying to get me to have a chat with the Illusive Man. You rest up, Garrus. I don’t want the other half of your face getting shot off, I like you in once piece.” She stood and moved to the exit, pausing just before the door opened, “Oh and Garrus, if you ever get your mandibles to function properly again, you should ask me out for a drink sometime.” She was grinning as she left, the sight of her smiling face was the last thing he saw before the door shut. Was that…? Was she ‘yanking his chain’ again, or…?

            “I think I’m going to do some calibrations.” He spoke to the empty room, “Clear my head.”


End file.
